Punjab: Narco-terror module, cross-border drug cartel busted in Amritsar; woman among 8 held
DGP Yadav said cops had got inputs that some individuals, who are in direct contact with the Pakistan-based drug smugglers, recently retrieved a consignment from Attari area to further supply to local peddlers
A narco-terror module and a cross-border drug cartel were busted in Amritsar with the arrest of eight persons in two cases, police said on Sunday. Over 9-kg heroin has been seized in both cases. Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the Counter Intelligence (CI), Amritsar, apprehended four persons of a narco-terror module and seized 4-kg heroin.
Those arrested have been identified as Sukhwinder Singh and his son Navjot Singh, both of Tarn Taran road in Amritsar, Aniket of Chheharta and Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, of Sheron village in Tarn Taran. Their black-coloured three-wheeler (PB06-AW-8034) and a bike (PB02-DV-0351), used for transporting drug consignments, have been seized.
DGP Yadav said cops had got inputs that some individuals, who are in direct contact with the Pakistan-based drug smugglers, recently retrieved a consignment from Attari area to further supply to local peddlers.
The accused were caught during a raid near the government hospital in Naraingarh, Amritsar, and 4-kg heroin was seized from their possession, he said.
The DGP said preliminary investigations have revealed that the gang was being managed by an abroad-based individual identified as Bhullar. A probe also revealed that Sukhwinder and his son Navjot Singh had received 4-kg heroin from an unknown person in Rajatal village, of which they gave 2 kg to Aniket and Gurpreet Singh for further supply.
Sukhwinder’s another son Harmanjit Singh, alias Harry, and Aniket’s brother Sagar were recently arrested by the Anti-Narcotic Task Force in SAS Nagar in January. They are currently lodged in Amritsar jail.
The DGP said that their involvement in this smuggling network is also under investigation. Further probe is on to uncover backward and forward linkages, he said, while adding that more recoveries and arrests are expected in the coming days.
Sections 21, 25, and 29 of the NDPS Act have been slapped by the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar.
In another case, four persons of a cross-border drug cartel were caught and 5.2-kg heroin was seized, officials said. The accused have been identified as Mandeep Kaur (27) of Ibban Kalan village in Amritsar, said to be kingpin, Alam Arora (23) and Manmeet alias Golu (21), both residents of Janta Colony in Chheharta, and an 18-year-old of Tarn Taran.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said a preliminary investigation revealed that Mandeep Kaur was in relationship with a person, who introduced her to Pakistan-based smugglers. Mandeep’s ancestral house is located in a border village — Khalra — in Tarn Taran which is approximately 2 km from the Pakistan border fence, he said.
The DGP said the probe also uncovered evidence that Mandeep Kaur would occasionally don police uniform to carry out nefarious activities.
Sharing operation details, Amritsar commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that following reliable inputs, police teams under the supervision of DCP (investigation) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu, ADCP (investigation) Navjot Singh and ACP (north) Kamaljit Singh, led by incharge CIA-1 inspector Amolakdeep Singh, apprehended Mandeep Kaur and her two operatives Alam and Manmeet from Chheharta.
Later, on the basis of information provided by Mandeep Kaur, cops arrested another individual from the same area, he said. More arrests and recoveries are likely, he added. The case was registered under Sections 21(C), 21(B), and 29 of the NDPS Act at the Chheharta police station on March 20.